Bardarbunga volcano could be another Eyjafjallajökull

Holidaymakers have been warned of “significant disruption” to air travel if an Icelandic volcano erupts this week.

Airlines have been put on high alert after officials issued a “code orange” warning — the second highest level — to travel firms following days of seismic activity at the Bardarbunga volcano.

Since Saturday, there have been 2,600 earthquake tremors in the area — one of which was the strongest since 1996.

In 2010, Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted, releasing a huge cloud of dust into European airspace. Millions of passengers were left stranded over the Easter holidays as 100,000 flights were cancelled at a cost of more than £1 billion.

There are fears a similar situation could arise should Bardarbunga erupt in the next couple of days.

The Met Office has said the UK would be affected due to strong north-westerly winds that are currently blowing over from Iceland.